On behalf of nurses and nursing candidates residing in Iran, we respectfully ask the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to consider establishing a clear and lawful pathway allowing otherwise eligible candidates residing in Iran to access internationally administered nursing examinations outside Iran.

 

Pearson VUE has announced that, effective September 8, 2026, following OFAC’s suspension of Iran General License G, it will no longer schedule or deliver examinations for candidates who are residents of Iran unless they can provide proof of primary residency outside Iran.

 

As a result, otherwise eligible nurses residing in Iran may be unable to complete examinations administered through Pearson VUE, including the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Test of Competence Computer-Based Test (CBT) and the NCLEX-RN, even when they meet all requirements of the relevant nursing regulatory authority and are willing to travel outside Iran to take the examination.

 

The NMC CBT is an essential component of the NMC Test of Competence for internationally educated nurses seeking registration in the United Kingdom. The NCLEX-RN is a professional licensing examination used by nursing regulatory bodies to assess candidates seeking nursing licensure.

 

We are not asking for these examinations to be administered inside Iran. We are asking for a lawful pathway for eligible candidates to travel, at their own expense and responsibility, to an authorized Pearson VUE testing center outside Iran and take the examination there.

 

Our request is specific and limited. We respectfully ask OFAC to review whether an appropriate lawful authorization, regulatory clarification, or other legally available mechanism could permit otherwise eligible candidates residing in Iran to:

• register for the NMC CBT or NCLEX-RN through the appropriate channels;

• pay applicable examination and scheduling fees through lawful means;

• complete all eligibility requirements established by the relevant nursing regulatory authority;

• receive the required examination authorization or eligibility confirmation;

• schedule the examination through Pearson VUE; and

• take the NMC CBT or NCLEX-RN at an authorized testing center outside Iran.

 

 

Candidates are willing to bear the full cost and responsibility of international travel and examination. No examination would be administered in Iran.

 

We fully recognize the importance of complying with U.S. sanctions and regulations. We are not asking for sanctions to be disregarded or broadly removed. Rather, we respectfully ask OFAC to consider a narrowly tailored solution that preserves the integrity of the existing sanctions framework while allowing otherwise eligible nurses residing in Iran to complete professional examinations outside Iran.

 

For internationally educated nurses, these examinations are essential steps toward obtaining professional registration or licensure and pursuing lawful employment abroad. A clear pathway for candidates to take these examinations outside Iran would provide a practical solution without requiring the examinations themselves to be delivered in Iran.

 

We also respectfully encourage the NMC, NCSBN, and Pearson VUE to work with OFAC and other relevant authorities to identify and implement any legally available mechanism that could facilitate this access.

 

We respectfully ask OFAC to help identify a lawful, narrowly tailored solution that allows otherwise eligible nurses residing in Iran to take the NMC CBT or NCLEX-RN at authorized testing centers outside Iran, while fully respecting applicable U.S. laws and regulations.